Europe musters Davids against US Goliath

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London: The United States have home advantage and the stronger line-up but holders Europe have deep self-belief ahead of next week's Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills outside Detroit, Michigan.

Since 1981 there has been very little to choose between the sides in terms of matchplay grit and ability in the biennial competition.

Although the American players always have the edge in individual world rankings, the Europeans seem to gel better as a 12-man unit.

The result of all that? A series of tight encounters in the past 10 matches with Europe winning five, the US four and one tied - at The Belfry in central England in 1989.

United States captain Hal Sutton, a leading member of the triumphant side at Brookline in 1999, expects the trend of closely fought matches to continue.

"Everybody has these lofty expectations of the American players," he said. "They add up the world rankings and, when you look at the US versus Europe, it's pretty lopsided.

"Problem is that it's going to boil down to who makes the most putts that week. And sometimes the greatest player in the game doesn't make enough putts that week to win.

"One thing that is great about the game of golf is that David actually beats Goliath sometimes.

"When it comes to the individual match-ups, I don't think there is a shoo-in, I really don't. Nobody would have guessed that Phillip Price would have beat Phil Mickelson last time, but it happened."

Welshman Price produced the shock result in the last-day singles in 2002 at The Belfry, where Europe regained the trophy from the US by 15 points to 12.

Then ranked 119th in the world, Price reeled off five birdies to upset world No.2 Mickelson 3 and 2, inflicting upon the left-hander his first Ryder Cup singles defeat in four matches.

More often than not, the Ryder Cup produces that sort of upset. Strokeplay prowess is no guarantee of matchplay success, and even Tiger Woods has lost more matches than he has won at the Ryder Cup.

Sam Torrance, Europe's winning captain in 2002, put it well when he referred to heroes emerging "out of the shadows".

"It seems every time the cup is contested, whether on our shores or in the States, there is a particularly great shot or a particularly memorable performance by a player from one side or the other that defines that year's competition," he said.

This time, on paper, the Americans will be favourites when the match starts next Friday.

In Woods, Mickelson, Love, Furyk and Toms, the US have five major winners. For the first time since 1981, when Seve Ballesteros was not selected following a dispute with European officials over appearance money, Europe have none.

Both sides have five rookies and seven players with previous Ryder Cup experience. Europe, however, feel they have a stronger mix.

"I think the team is very strong in depth," said Europe captain Bernhard Langer. "We have far more depth on the European team now than we ever had before."

Colin Montgomerie, who will be playing his seventh Ryder Cup next week, agrees. "I'm very positive," he said. "Our team this year goes all the way down.

"I think, for the first time, that Bernhard can chop and change his team more than other [European] captains have been able to in previous years. Making those changes, being able to chop and change, can only help us come Sunday."

Players aside, there is the par-70 course at Oakland Hills to consider. Once thought of as a monster of a course with regard to its length, it is now feared for its demanding fairways and its slick, severely sloping greens.

USA v EUROPE - THE RYDER CUP FORMAT

Venue: Oakland Hills Country Club near Detroit, Michigan, from September 17 to 19. Teams 12-a-side. 28 matches will be played, culminating with 12 singles on the final day. The first two days will feature a mix of foursomes and fourball matches, with the order of play determined through mutual agreement by US captain Hal Sutton and his European counterpart Bernhard Langer. Foursomes matches involve two-man teams, with each playing one ball. The players take alternate shots until the hole is completed. The lower of the two scores wins the hole. If the same number of shots on both sides is recorded, the hole is halved. Fourball matches involve two-man teams with each player playing his own ball and completing the hole. The best score of the four wins the hole. In singles matches, the result is decided when one player leads by more holes than there are holes left to play. Captains submit their order of play before each round of matches to an appointed official. The lists are then matched, resulting in the pairings.